Review of Evil Queen - Snow White
Exclusive Premium Format Statue

Introduction

When Sideshow first announced they were doing Premium Format figures from Disney licenses, I was pretty stoked. Visions of Jack Sparrow, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and Davy Jones danced in my head. But then they said they'd be hitting it from an animated angle first...and my enthusiasm was dimmed.

We already have large scale statues of various animated figures from the Disney vaults. These are similar to the recent Mickey as Indiana Jones I reviewed, and while they are generally not done in a mixed media style, they are still fairly nice - and much cheaper, costing about half the price of a SS PF.

But when the early photos of the Evil Queen hit the web, I figured I ought to give them the benefit of the doubt, and grab her. I loved Snow White as a kid, and I've shared the film on blu-ray with my children as well. The film is heralded as the savior of Disney (they were in deep trouble when it was released), and the Evil Queen is one of their earliest - and best known - villains.

I'm all for villains too. They generally make more interesting characters, and they certainly get the best looking outfits and designs. Sideshow is also producing Maleficent, another classic female villain, and while I thought I'd stop with the Evil Queen, I have to admit that I broke down and ordered her as well. And the Rocketeer. Yep, I'm hooked.

BTW, the queen has a name - Queen Grimhilde. Nope, she doesn't look much like a Grimhilde.

These are Premium Format statues, and the emphasis is on 'premium' when it comes to pricing. The regular version of the Evil Queen is $285 at Sideshow (although you can save $20 or $30 if you shop around with my sponsors), and the exclusive version (with additional 'accessory') was $299. Of course, both are sold out now at Sideshow, but you can still get on the wait list for the exclusive, or buy the regular from one of my sponsors listed in the Where to Buy section at the end of the review.

There were just 300 produced of the exclusive version, with just another 600 of the regular. That's some VERY low numbers for a Disney collectible, and the quantities on both the regular and exclusive versions of the Rocketeer and Maleficent are in the same ball park. I suspect that once folks start seeing the released version of the Evil Queen, they'll dry up very, very fast.

Packaging - ****
This is one of the smallest, yet nicest, PF boxes we've seen in some time. It has some great graphics and photos, and I really like the story board art and gold trim.

Since the base for the Evil Queen is about half as deep as usual, the box is much thinner. I'm all for that too, since it makes it easier to store for the long term.

As usual, there's no COA, but the edition number is printed on the bottom of the base and box.

Sculpting - ****
I don't specifically remember this exact pose from the film, but it does seem that the Queen created the poisoned apple first, then turned herself into the hag better known ad the 'witch'. That would fit with this pose, where she holds the deadly apple aloft, confident in her victory.

The queen was beautiful, which led her to her extreme narcissism and vanity. Makes sense, since there's nothing worse than an ugly narcissist. Sideshow has captured that alluring beauty perfectly here, and you have no trouble believing an old king would fall and fall hard for this woman, evil or not. Homina, homina, howaa!

The underlying body is rather unique, however. It's sculpted with a 'uni-leg', rather than with two separate realistic legs. This form works better with the dress, and also makes the legs far more stable and less likely to crack or break.

The base is smaller than usual, but designed to look like the box the Queen gave to the soldier, which he was to bring back with Snow White's heart inside. Ah, those were the days!

Paint - ***1/2
The paint work on most recent PF's from Sideshow has been top notch, and the Evil Queen upholds this trend.

As an animated character, the colors are broader and there are fewer paint details, but the vibrancy and consistency are excellent.

That's not to say there aren't any small details, however. The finger nails, while a little sloppy, have a nice gloss finish and a very realistic two tone effect. The eyes are perfect, with the eye shadow above the eyes adding to her menacing expression.

There's a little slop here and there, and the edges between the black costume and skin tone are the most obvious. But even these are minor when compared to the overall effect.

Articulation - Bupkis
This won't be a negative toward my score, but I've included it as an FYI. There's no posing you can do here - she's a solid statue.

Accessories - Regular Bupkis, Exclusive ***1/2
Generally, statues don't have accessories, so if you pick up the regular version you are unlikely to be bothered by the lack there of. However, the exclusive does include the large book with human skull bowl. There's a large, evil raven perched on the edge as well.

This extra piece is much larger than I had expected, but truly in scale. The thin bookmark is made from cloth as well, making it a mixed media accessory for a mixed media statue.

The sculpting is much more detailed and realistic than we usually see with an animated style, especially on the wings of the bird and the skull itself.  While this isn't a must have addition, it does make the exclusive worth the few extra bucks.

Outfit - ****
While the sculpt and paint are excellent, it's really the cloth costume that sets this statue apart.

The long, flowing cape is made from exceptionally beautiful material, very thick and very soft. The stitching is just as high quality, and while I might have liked a wire or two to give it a little more posability, that's a very minor quibble.

The inner robes which hang off the arms are also very nice, with a baby blue color that is offset against the darker background.

The dress fits the underlying uni-body perfectly, hugging every curve and line. Ignoring just how evil she is, she's quite the animated babe.

The rope belt finishes off the cloth aspects of the outfit, and is properly scaled and another great fit.

If I had one quibble, and it's a very, very small one, it's that they should have provided a way to keep the cloak in her left hand. It's not necessary - she looks fine with the hand without the cloak, due to the pose - but it would have been a nice touch considering the high end nature of the statue. Perhaps a little loop of string that could slide around the fingers...something of that nature would have been appreciated.

Smaller sculpted pieces put the finishing touches on the look of the costume, like the solid collar and broach, but it's really these cloth items that make this statue pop when you first see it.

You may want to steam the robes a bit to pull out the few wrinkles that are there, but I found that just having her on display allowed most of these to relax. Also, be sure that any steam you use is as clean as possible - you wouldn't want to stain that gorgeous outfit.

Value - **
At almost $300, these are anything but cheap. While the costuming here is very, very nice, it doesn't have the intricacy of something like Blackbeard or Doc Holliday. While I love the quality, the dear old girl still feels about $50 overpriced. If you can pick up the regular edition closer to $250, you'll probably be much happier.

Don't forget though - the edition size here is quite small. I'm sure that has quite a bit to do with the high cost.

Things to Watch Out For -
Just remember that the metal posts which slide into the bottom of her uni-legs are much harder than the polystone, and can damage it if you are too forceful or careless.

Overall - Exclusive ****; Regular ***1/2
Sideshow has had their ups and downs depending on your own personal interest in their various scales. But their work on the Premium Format statues has been exceptional over the six months, with a number of outstanding entries. As I said at the offset of the review, I was initially hesitant about cartoon style PF's, but I'm completely sold now. I'd love for them to announce further Disney villains, especially Hook, and if they can go outside animation to the 'real' world, I'd love to put Davy Jones next to my Blackbeard PF. Make it so, Sideshow!

This is one of those rare cases where I did like the extra accessory that was provided with the exclusive enough to give it the slight edge in the Overall score. But Disney fans are sure to be more than satisfied with either version.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ****
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - Bupkis
Accessories - Regular Bupkis; Exclusive ***1/2
Outfit - ****
Value - **
Overall - Regular ***1/2; Exclusive ****

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Sideshow was the place to pick up the exclusive ($299), and they also had the regular ($285) at first. However, both are now on wait list. Don't give up hope though - I've had 3 wait lists on other items convert to orders recently.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
This is the first of the Sideshow Disney PF's, but the second is already announced and sold out - Maleficent! - as well as the third, the Rocketeer! You can still get on the waitlists, of course. They haven't announced the next...yet...but my fingers are crossed for a Jack Sparrow. And if they want to stay with animated...how about a Captain Hook? Now there's a figure that would look fantastic in this format!

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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